


Disproving the Null Hypothesis

by respoftw



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: First Time, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 13:06:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8209609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: All the data that Rodney had collated pointed to the same conclusion, as impossible as it may seem;  John Sheppard, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard was gay. 
Rodney decides to run an experiment of his own.





	

All the data that Rodney had collated pointed to the same conclusion, as impossible as it may seem;  John Sheppard,  _ Lt. Colonel  _ John Sheppard was gay.  Further to the point, and so unexpected that Rodney had considered asking Zelenka to run his eyes over the data for a second opinion, Sheppard seemed to have an interest, a more than professional and more than friendly interest, in  _ him _ .  No matter how often Rodney ran the data, it always added up to the same outcome - John Sheppard was gay and had the hots for one Meredith Rodney McKay, PhD, PhD.

Rodney wasn’t sure what to do with this knowledge at first.  He knew there was a class of thinking that tried to preach that knowledge was its own reward, that knowledge for knowledge’s sake was a laudable achievement in and of itself but he had never much subscribed to that.  What was the point of knowing something that you could never use?  It was why he never bothered to remember the unimportant people's names - if the knowledge didn’t serve him, didn’t benefit him, then he didn’t need it.  


He considered treating his new found knowledge of Sheppard the same way, to throw it to the side in much the same way he did with the name of Jeannie’s husband or the latest complaint from the botany department but when it came right down to it, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.  


Another fact, a fact that had not been thrown away but, instead, buried in the recesses of his mind like the rudimentary botanical knowledge he had gleaned in college - kept safe and waiting for those moments when he had to show up the incompetent morons who worked for him - was the fact that he just might have his  _ own _ crush on the Lt. Colonel.   


It was a purely theoretical crush - he had catalogued his responses to the spiky haired pilot that had managed to produce a surprisingly accurate map of the solar system that fateful day in Antarctica (dilated pupils, a quickening of his pulse and a rather unexpected southerly rush of blood) and tucked them away to be examined later.  


Later never came, despite the corner of his mind dedicated to his responses towards the very male John Sheppard rapidly filling up with data points including very  _ un _ heterosexual jealous rages in response to glowy ascended harlots.     


Because, the thing was, Rodney had never considered himself anything but straight.  Well, maybe not straight; he’d spent a few too many hours daydreaming about the T.A. in his Non-Equilibrium Statistical Physics class in sophomore year to truly class himself as straight, but the important thing was that he had no experience with men when it came to the physical aspects of a relationship.  That and the fact that, until recently, he had believed Sheppard to be the Pegasus Galaxy’s equivalent to Captain Kirk who, even if he did share some of Kirk’s latent pansexual tendencies, was out of his league.  


However, like any good scientist, Rodney was willing to admit when the data needed to be re-examined.  Maybe he could do something with this knowledge after all?  


He only had one stumbling block.  John was Rodney’s best friend, one of the few  _ true _ friends he had, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to gamble that friendship on the purely theoretical conclusion that he might not be as straight as he’d once thought he was.   


Rodney had disproven enough hypotheses in the past to know that the only way to overcome this stumbling block was to apply some real world applications to his maybe gayness.  He wasn’t willing to risk it with John without proving that he wasn’t going to run screaming for the hills the first time someone with a hand as large as his own touched his dick.  Rodney needed to get laid.  For science.  For  _ John _ .   


Like most things in Rodney’s life, this was easier said than done.  He had always had terrible luck with women and his petty, arrogant, bad with people personality was equally as off putting to men and that was before taking into consideration that his only pool of options consisted of either military soldiers who were working for the small minded US military or his own staff - both of which were not exactly conducive to sexy times.  


Unlike most things in Rodney’s life, the perfect solution presented itself to him at the perfect time.  


Rodney had griped about being loaned out - “whored out” as he had ranted at Elizabeth - to the people of PX7-MRT for a week long project to overhaul their water irrigation system but three days in, when he first noticed the appraising looks being thrown his way by the chieftain’s son, he realised that this mission could be just the opportunity he was looking for.  


Of course, deciding to take advantage of the situation didn’t automatically transform Rodney into someone who could just walk over and pick someone up, so it wasn’t until his last night on PX7 that he successfully approached Abram.  


This did have the unfortunate disadvantage of putting a cap on all of the experiments that Rodney would ideally have liked to try in order to disprove his straightness but at least it wouldn’t be awkward if the encounter was an unmitigated disaster seeing as he would be leaving through the stargate the very next day.  


A little buzzed from the celebratory wine that the natives had shared with him in honour of the completed irrigation system, Rodney had let Abram lead him to his tent, let Abram push Rodney on to his hands and knees and get right to the most important experiment of all.  He had, after all, had the privilege of a hand on his dick before, even occasionally been lucky enough to feel the hot wet suction of a mouth so, given the time constraints, the most logical test was that of penetration.  


The preparation wasn’t quite as thorough as Rodney’s thoroughly encrypted research had suggested was the norm, but Abram had seemed to know what he was doing so Rodney gritted his teeth and bore down.  


It was more painful than he expected, uncomfortable and bruising and really, he hadn’t been giving those porn actors enough credit if they could fake actually enjoying this.  Abram shifted then, his fingers digging painfully into the flesh at Rodney’s hips but the change in position let him brush against Rodney’s prostate and now,  _ now _ Rodney could see why someone would enjoy this.  Unfortunately, Abram finished not long after, biting down on Rodney’s shoulder as he came.     


Rodney pushed him off, wincing at the joint throbbing of his shoulder and ass, but Abram was already snoring, his face slack with only a small sated smile and the full condom on his softening dick showing that he had gotten off.  


Rodney rolled his eyes and finished himself off, not caring that his own release spattered all over the furs of Abram’s bed; he should count himself lucky that was all Rodney did.    


He made his way to his own tent, limping ever so slightly in the night air, and collapsed on to his own furs.  It hadn’t been a huge success but the way his cock twitched gamely when Rodney thought back to the few times that Abram had managed to stimulate his prostate was evidence enough to disprove the idea that Rodney was 100% straight.  


As unappealing as his first time had been, Rodney was convinced that now, at least, he could try to make something work with John.    


It was enough to count the experiment as a success.  


* * *

A commotion woke him the next morning, the sound of shouting and running greeting him as he opened his eyes.  Rodney rolled out of bed, wincing at the pain.  Ignoring the ache as best he could, he pulled on his trousers and shirt and pushed back the opening of his tent to see what the hell was going on.  


Of all the things that Rodney had expected, the buzz of Wraith darts, wild animals attacking the village, or another hundred catastrophes which he would hopefully live through to use as a reason that he should never be offworld without a security team, he hadn’t been prepared for the sight of Sheppard visibly vibrating as Ronon held him back, Teyla’s light touch on his chest trying to soothe his anger.  


Confused, Rodney stepped around the gawking villagers and felt his blood freeze as he saw Abram sprawled out on the ground in front of his friends, blood freely flowing from the mess that was his nose.  


John’s eyes flashed with a familiar anger, the anger that he normally reserved for the Genii or the Wraith and Rodney took a step back when those eyes flitted towards him.  


“Through the gate,”  John demanded.  “Now.”    


Teyla nodded gently at him when he looked at her.  He was relieved that there was no sign of anger in her eyes, but the pity that he did see was almost as bad.  Rodney moved towards the gate without looking back, a sinking feeling in his gut.  


No-one stopped him as he trudged towards the gate and Teyla joined him, leaving Ronon to manhandle John. Rodney looked at her as they walked toward the gate.  Yes, he thought, definitely pity.  


“What happened?” he asked quietly. “Do you know - - “  


Teyla linked her arm with his.  “We know,” she said.  “The man in question - “  


“Abram,” Rodney interrupted.  “His name is Abram.”  


Teyla nodded graciously.  “He was talking quite loudly as we approached the village.”  Rodney felt the beginnings of a tension headache form.  He should have known that this would happen to him.  


“Do I want to know what he was saying?”  


Teyla smiled sadly.  “It was...not complimentary,” she began.  “Colonel Sheppard took exception to his words and, well, you saw the result.”  


Rodney didn’t say anything as they reached the DHD, what could he say?  He dialled the address for Atlantis.  


“Why did you join with him, Rodney?” Teyla asked.  “I had thought that you and John..”  


“Ha,”  Rodney was well aware that his bark of laughter could have easily been mistaken for a sob.  “I’m pretty sure that there will never be a me and John.  Not now.”  


“Rodney - - “  Teyla broke off as Ronon and John caught up with them.    


John didn’t look any less angry, his knuckles white where the gripped the butt of his P90.   He stalked through the gate ahead of them all and Ronon followed, casting an apologetic look at Rodney as he passed.  “S’not you he’s angry at,” he said with a shrug.  


Rodney hunched in on himself.  Ronon could say that but  _ he _ knew the truth.  Teyla squeezed his arm in sympathy before they both stepped through the gate.   


Carson was waiting for him when he emerged in Atlantis and Rodney frowned in confusion.  


“I’m fine,” he started to say but John’s clipped tones cut him off.  


“You were limping, McKay,” he managed to ground out between clenched teeth.  “You will let Carson examine you and that’s an order.”  John didn’t wait around to see if Rodney would comply, stalking out the gate room without looking back.  


Rodney sighed heavily and gestured for Carson to lead the way.  “We may as well get this over with,” he said.  “Let’s go.”  


* * *

The examination had been one of the most humiliating experiences of Rodney’s life but he was grateful for the cream that Carson had given him to help heal the small tears that had been causing him increasing amounts of pain.  


He had managed to escape to his room without too much fuss after assuring both Carson and Kate that the encounter, while rough, had been consensual.  He wasn’t sure how he could look either of them in the eyes again.  


Wrapped up in his comforter and digging into the emergency stash of chocolate he kept in his sock drawer, Rodney ignored the gentle knocking on his door.  He had activated the privacy settings for a reason.  


Atlantis, as usual, rolled over for Sheppard and let him in anyway.  


“What do you want, Colonel?” Rodney gritted out.  “Come to yell at me some more?  Order me about again?”  


“Rodney, I - - “  


John sounded wrecked and Rodney bolted upright, whirling around to where John was standing at the bottom of his bed.  


“I’m sorry,” John said.  “I’m so fucking sorry for - well, not for punching him because, honestly the bastard is lucky I didn’t shoot him for the things he was saying but - I’m sorry for making you think I was angry at you.  I’m not.  I couldn’t….are you OK?”  


Rodney sighed.  Goddamnit, how could he stay mad at John when he looked that pathetic?  


“I’m fine, Colonel,” he said.  “Terminally embarrassed, but fine.”  


John nodded and crept a bit closer.  Rodney scooted to the left and patted the space next to him.  Sitting, John looked awkward and uncomfortable and Rodney was just about to ask him what he was doing here when - -  


“I didn’t even know you were gay,” John said.  


Rodney laughed without an ounce of humour.  “Neither did I, that was the whole point of the experiment.”  


“Experiment?”  


Rodney nodded.  He may as well come out with all of it.  “There’s someone on Atlantis that I might be interested in,” he admitted.  “A male someone and I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t...that I would...I wanted to make  _ sure _ before I told him.”   


John reached across the space between them and cupped the back of Rodney’s neck.  “Jesus, Rodney,” he breathed.  “You didn’t have to do that.  We could have taken it slow, we could have - - it  _ is _ me, right?”   


Rodney chuckled, leaning into John’s side.  “Yes, you idiot, it’s you.  Did I screw this up?”  


“No,” John said quickly.  “No.  I’m not going anywhere.”  He moved closer and touched Rodney’s chin with his other hand.  “It didn’t mean anything?”  


“God no,” Rodney said.  “It was..it was awful and it hurt and - - “  


John growled, honest to god growled and Rodney really shouldn’t find that so hot.  “I’m going to kill him.”  He stood up quickly and started to stalk toward the door.  “I’m going to gut him and - - “  


“John,” Rodney grabbed John’s arm, stopping him.  “Leave it.  He’s not worth it.”  


“He hurt you,” John said.  “That’s not acceptable, that’s - - “  


“Show me how it should be,” Rodney said. He stroked John’s face. “I don’t want to think about him.  I want you to show me how it should be.”  He gasped at the sudden feel of John’s body pressed against his own.  “I want.”  


“Me too,” John promised.  “Me too.”  


Later, as they lay next to each other in the too small bed in Rodney’s quarters, Rodney watched John sleep.  The data was conclusive.  He, Rodney McKay was very definitely gay and very much in love with Lt. Colonel John Sheppard.  He’d never been happier to prove a theory correct.  


**Author's Note:**

> I've written this fic, or a version of it, for the three other fandoms that I have written multiple fic for so it was only fitting that SGA got its own version. Sorry for anyone reading this idea for the fourth time!
> 
> As always, you can find me on [Tumblr](http://buffycuddlespigs.tumblr.com)


End file.
